The National tribune., 1887-02-24
FIGHTING THEM OVER
What Our Veterans Have TO Say About
Their Old Campaigns.
cRocKER's IOWA BRIGADE.
How II Eonrht in the RatlIe Before Atlanta.

%, 1864, he says the lett regiments ol heH'
Giles A. Smiths Division crumbled. some OF the
mon fleeing and others falling back sullenly
on Lerpetts Division. CrOckers Iowa Brigade
held the left of that lime, being the Third Brl-
rade Fourth Division Seventeenth Corps ana
i will saw that Crocker's Brigade was never
known to crumble or flee from anything
We had lust eaten dinner when firing COM
menced on the piclet-line, and In a few NM
utes our pickles came IN ON the run, with
a hot fire between them and the enemy. They
were immediately sent back, but had not gone
10 rods when they struck line OF battle Again
they came in and we opened from the works on
the rebels. While we were attending to those
i'm our front the enemy worked around our
flank and rear. The 18th Iowa held the left
flank. the 10th Iowa the left center, the 18th
Iowa the right center. and the nth Iowa the
right of the brigade The left OF our line was
refused.
When the rebels got in rear of the 18th they
Immediately faced 10 the rear and poured a
heavy fire on front. rear and flank. At tins
time the 10th had more robes at their backs
than the regiment numbered, that had
SURRENDERED AND COME OVER
the works but the 18th finding they had more
than they could handle, with the enemy on
three sides OF them, commenced retiring along
the rear of the brigade and pouring murder
Gus FIRE into the enemy Fresh troops came up
and forced themselves in between these and the
part of two companies of the 18th eventually
surrendered.
AZ this time the 18th and 18th were directed
by Col. Hall, of the nth, commanding the bril-
gade 10 move 10 the right along the works that
the 10th had surrendered, and we were ordered
20 fix bayonets and give them cold steel If they
crowded us. We started along the works, when
they opened on our rear and flank with rs
heavy fire as we ever were under, which we
promptly returned, aud after going about two
lengths of the regiment TO the right we had
them on our front, flank aud rear. When we
beat them of on one side they came at us on
the other, and il was lively work jumping from
one side of the breastwOrks TO the other, till
we finally drove them from our front and flank
and they settled down TO business in our rear.
We got on TO the Atlanta side Of our works and
had thom Just where we wanted them. They
charged us FIVE times in the works, but we had
fighting room and did not want any better
fun than for them TO come on. We repulsed
every charge. They came right up TO the
works and tried to bayonet the men over the
head-ogs We're these the regiments that
crumbled aud fled on the left of Smiths Diyis-
ion?
The rebels got tired OF that work and COM
menced forming on our flank TO sweep up both
sides of our works when Col Belknap, of the
18TH came along the line calling for volunteers
TO charge them out OF that. The boys started
and
JUMPED RIGHT INTO THEM,
and determined hand to hand fight ensued.
Bayonets and dubbed muskets were freely
used. Col. Belknap pulled the Colonel of the
45th Ala. over the breastwOrks in very un-
ceTemoniOus manner, and First Serg't Buck, of
Co. X, llth Iowa, took the Major of the 45th
Ala. prisoner. The result OF the charge was
that the bulk of the 18th Ala. marched along
our rear as prisoners, and we stopped their
enflading fire along our line.
The brigade had got pretty well mixed mp,
and NO wonder the way we had been lighting
on front, flank and rear. Lieut-Co Abercrom-
bic, OF the nth, ordered the color-guard Of that
regiment across the works and to halt on the
road running a short distance in rear and 10
face 10 the flank. de then ordered the men TO
follow the colors, the men of each company TO
take their proper places in the line, aud 10 do
ii IN hurry, as the enemy were beginning 10
move When the men commenced crowding in
there was not room between the works and the
colors Tor the right wing and the Colonel
ordered the regiment 10 give way 10 the left,
but the Siaor mistaking the order directed the
left wing TO fall back.
At this time there were three rebel lines
sweeping up along the works, and they opened
FIRE at short range. The right wing seeing the
left wing falling back did the same and AS the
rebel fire was hot the regiment returned ii as
they slowly retired. No orders could he
heard, as the firing was terrific and shells from
Atlanta were exploding amongst and over us.
A piece of shell knocked Col Abercrombie off
his horse, but did not seriously injure him.
Our Major was shot through the lungs and
was carried of the field. When the 18th, having
formed in our rear, came TO our assistance the
way those rebels melted away and finally went
back was a caution. The writer was one of the
llths color bearers, and in that few minutes,
engagement we lost five of the guard.
The enemy concluded they could not double
MP the Army of the Tennessee SO they re-
sorted to their old tactics of charging us out of
the works The enemy never put our brigade
out of
ANY WORKS WE EVER BUILT
on n square charge, but when the two crack
divisions Of Hoods army took the brigade on
front, flank and rear, think there were few
brgadcs that would have fought their way out
as we did. Ii was the toughest corner we ever
struck, and we had been in some pretty tight
places 1t was not long till the Johnnies came
at as on square charge from the rear when
we Immediately jumped 10 the Atlanta side OF
the works. They charged us three times and
were repulsed with fearful loss every time
We gathered in three stands Of their colors
which went down AS every man that offered 10
lift them shot. The llth took three flags
here and the colors of the s5th Ala on the
charge on the flank-not bad showing for a
"crumbled and fleeing regiment"
j think about 4 p. m. we were ordered into q
new line OF works running at right angles with
those we had been occupying, where the left OF
the regiment did some desperate fighting during
the evening, but the right was not engaged 10
any great extent, though the left suffered
severely. After dark the brigade was retired
from the line aud biyouacked in the woods
When the roll OF Co. X of the llth was called
there were y rank and file left, and the com
pany WAS commanded by Corporal: at the
morning roll-call we had a. rank and file and
one commanding officer. j think this would bt
q fair estimate of the brigade's loss. although
have not the Official figures, but we lost Over
half OF the brigade j have always thought
that the determined resistance made by IA,
Croker Brigade gave the rest Of the Seven
teenth Corps time TO get things in shape. Gen
Howard said 10 minute of such fighting as oul
brigade did on the 22d of July, 1864, in front O.
Atlanta, would have saved the Eleventh Corps a
CONGRATULATIONS STRANG Go. X litl
Iowa, Norway, Benton Co., Iowa
Getting Into Atlanta.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: sec In Won
issue of Dec. 80 that Comrade Stacey saws. re
plying 20 COmrade Ewing that the Third Bri